Uranium enrichment is Iran's 'red line' in talks with US

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that domestic uranium enrichment and the effective removal of sanctions are Tehran's non-negotiable demands in the ongoing indirect talks with Washington.

He made the remarks at a weekly press conference in Tehran while elaborating on the country's demands in the Omani-mediated negotiations with the United States, of which three rounds have been held so far, two in the Omani capital Muscat on April 12 and April 26, respectively, and another in Rome on April 19.

Baghaei said that the next round of talks with the United States is scheduled to take place on May 3, as arranged by Oman, with the three parties collaboratively determining the specific time and place of the negotiations.

He emphasized that the lifting of U.S. sanctions aligns with the best interests of the Iranian people, and Iran will place no constraints on attaining this objective. Nevertheless, Iran has concurrently established its own "red lines" to safeguard its core national interests.

"As a matter of principle, enrichment is and has to be part and parcel of any fair and realistic agreement that we may entertain with other partners. I think this is not only a political position by Iran. It is basically an inalienable right enshrined under the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) and in accordance with international law. So that's something that we will certainly stress on in any negotiations," he said.

Baghaei also stated the details of any negotiations should be within the framework of the general outlines already agreed on by the two sides, adding, "No agreement will be reached unless Iran's desired general framework is taken into account."

He stressed that technical consultations would be held simultaneously at each stage of the negotiations, underscoring that "ending the sanctions effectively is a keyword" and that having access to Iran's "illegally and unjustly" frozen assets is among his country's serious demands in the talks.

The foreign minister noted that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived in Tehran earlier in the day for technical talks with Iranian experts on a number of topics, including the safeguards issues.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, has renewed a bilateral currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye.

The total value of this agreement is 35 billion yuan (about 4.88 billion U.S. dollars), or 189 billion Turkish lira, the PBOC said in a statement on its website on Friday.

The agreement is valid for three years and can be renewed upon mutual consent, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the two sides have also signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a yuan clearing arrangement in Türkiye.

These arrangements mark a new stage in China-Türkiye financial cooperation and are expected to facilitate the use of local currencies by enterprises and financial institutions of both countries for cross-border settlements, further promoting and facilitating bilateral trade and investment, the statement said.